respiro

rē-spīro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n.

I.

Lit., to blow or breathe back; to breathe out, exhale (class.;

esp. in the trop. signif.): quod nisi respirent venti, vis nulla refrenet Res... nunc quia respirant, etc.,

Lucr. 6, 568 sq.:

cum aspera arteria ad pulmones usque pertineat excipiatque animam eam, quae ducta sit spiritu eandemque a pulmonibus respiret et reddat,

Cic. N. D. 2, 54, 136:

ex eā pars redditur respirando,

id. ib. 2, 55, 138:

malignum aëra,

to exhale, send forth, Stat. S. 2, 2, 78; cf. id. ib. 2, 4, 35; and poet.:

fistula,

i. e. to sound, Calp. Ecl. 4, 74.—

II.

Transf., in gen., to take breath; to breathe, respire (only neutr. ).

A.

Lit.:

propius fore eos ad respirandum,

Cic. Fin. 4, 23, 64; 3, 14, 48:

sine respirem, quaeso,

Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 20 (with recipere anhelitum); id. Pers. 3, 3, 12: O Clitopho, timeo. Clit. respiro, Ter. Heaut. 2, 2, 12; Quint. 8, 5, 14; Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 146:

ut non ter deciens respiret,

Juv. 14, 28 al. —

B.

Trop., to fetch one ' s breath again, to recover breath; to recover, revive, be relieved or refreshed after any thing difficult (as labor, care, etc.); constr. absol. or ab aliquā re.

(α).

Absol.:

(improbitas) cujus in animo versatur, numquam sinit eum respirare, numquam acquiescere,

Cic. Fin. 1, 16, 52; cf.:

si armis positis civitas respiraverit,

id. Fam. 6, 2, 2 (with recreari):

cum tot negotiis distentus sit, ut libere respirare non possit,

id. Rosc. Am. 8, 22:

respiravi, liberatus sum,

id. Mil. 18, 47:

homines respirasse videbantur,

id. Sest. 38, 71; id. Att. 2, 24, 5; 7, 13, a, 3;

10, 1: spatium respirandi dare,

Liv. 10, 28; 26, 26 fin.; 28, 31; Verg. A. 9, 813 al.:

quo animi respirant,

Quint. 9, 4, 62.— Impers. pass.:

ita respiratum, mittique legationes coeptae,

Liv. 29, 4.—

(β).

With ab:

respirare a metu,

Cic. Clu. 70, 200; id. Har. Resp. 23, 48:

ab eorum mixtis precibus minisque, Liv 4, 25: a continuis cladibus,

id. 22, 18; cf.:

aures poëticis voluptatibus a forensi asperitate,

Quint. 1, 8, 11.—

2.

Transf., twice in Cic., of the exertion or passion itself, to abate, diminish, cease (syn.:

remittere, cessare): oppugnatio respiravit,

Cic. Phil. 8, 7, 20:

cupiditas atque avaritia respirasset,

id. Quint. 16, 53.